Booth Men
by crystalballer
Summary: Two stories from the life of Hank Booth or Grandpa Booth, soon to be seen in episode 8, Season 5 of Bones . They are connected. But isn't it always?


He is Hank Booth, grandfather of Seeley Booth, who was named Seeley for Hank's own father, the original Seeley Booth. To avoid confusion, let us refer to the father of Hank as Seeley, and the grandson of Hank as Booth.

He is Hank Booth, son of Joan Booth, a young woman who so devilishly faked her own death to break away from a loveless marriage to his father, Seeley Booth.

The years are 1921 and 2009, and he is there to see the pain experienced by two men he love, one named for the other.

*

1929 (aged 7)

Hank sits at a desk covered with paperwork and dust. The desk in question belongs to his father, Seeley Booth. A man of age 32, carrying the worldly weariness of an old man due to the survivor's guilt harboured from his return from World War I alive 10 years ago. A man working as a detective seeking to atone for the lives he took during that dreadful war. This fact will not be revealed to Hank until he was of age 20. He would in turn encourage his own grandson to do the same.

The door to the room which contained the desk flew open, and Seeley stormed in, closely followed by a woman, whose heels clicked sharply against the wooden floor.

The lady is named Tracy. With her bobbed hair and pearls, one would be expecting her to be a lady of social status. She is. However, a life of solving murder cases seemed much more fun than a life of the Charleston to her, so here she is.

Hank knew his dad wasn't too happy to be paired with a lady. Yes, Seeley was one of 'those men', those who believed in women engaging their time in frivolous parties instead of work.

"I'm telling you, Kirk did not play a part in Eugene's murder." His father lit a cigar, rounding Tracy with an intense look.

"Why? Just because he's a respectable gentleman who runs the local theatre with those newfangled moving picture things?" Tracy leaned in with an equally intense look.

"Those _moving picture things _are called _movies_, for heaven's sake. And no, it's not because of that. It's because he had no motive to. I looked into his eyes and didn't see anything."

"Oh, you felt it? It isn't rational to _just know, _for _heaven's sake._"

"Stop throwing my words back at me."

"I will if you would listen to me just once. Just because I'm a female, it doesn't mean I can't think."

"I never called you mindless."

"Who said that you called me mindless? What, do you really think I'm mindless?"

"No, I did not-"

"That's it. I'm out of here." With that, Tracy rounded on her heels and walked out of the room.

Hank did not anticipate that the click-clack of those heels would be the last he ever saw of her.

Seeley groaned into his hands, sinking into a chair. It wasn't the first argument he had had with Tracy, but they had been fighting more than _bickering_ lately.

No, it had nothing to do with her parents trying to get her engaged to some other man, hoping she would quit the detective business for good once she saw the perks of married life.

Was he stupid? Of course it did, and he knew it. But what could he do? Offer himself up as a candidate? He was far too old for her, a lady of age 27. And her parents would not approve of her marrying a poor widower.

Hank looked up the desk, where he had been tracing his name into the dust. "Daddy, why do you and Tracy fight more and more? I miss it when you didn't quarrel."

Seeley answered, his words muffled by his hands. "While someone does something to break your heart, however unintentional, you take your anger out on them."

A few months later, Tracy married a man by the name of Geoffrey Keenan. Hank never forgot that day, when his father created a bonfire of the items that reminded him of Tracy. It was too painful. And he loved that woman, no matter how much he resented her working with him.

Tracy and Geoffrey Keenan welcomed a baby boy when Hank was 8 years of age. His name was Max, orphaned at 2 years of age during a fire that claimed his parent's lives.

*

2009 (aged 87)

Hank isn't stupid. He can tell his grandson loves that Brennan lady. And this time, he doesn't want to see Booth suffer the same fate as Hank's own father.

One Seeley might have lost his shot at love. But the other? He would go to whatever means necessary to see them together.

It didn't hurt to know that she was in love with him, too.

During a visit to his grandson, he gets to see them work together. The way they bickered reminded him of Tracy and his dad.

At least he thinks they do. It's hard to remember something that occurred 80 years ago.

At the end of his visit, he tells her to be there for his grandson when he needs her. She understands. Here, Hank surprises her with another little factoid.

"My own father was named Seeley. Got his heart broken by a lady named Tracy. I'm pretty sure she loved him. However, she got married off by her parents. Broke dad's heart. You know, you remind me a lot of her."

She rambles on about a something-ology about societal measures to create status through marriage. Or some crap like that, he does not process facts as fast as he used too. Then she reverts back to his topic.

"However alike we must look, I'm not related to that Tracy lady. The statistical improbability is too high for something like that to occur."

Hank thought for a while, then nodded his head. "True. Tracy married some guy named Geoffrey Keenan and they gave birth to some boy named Max Keenan. And as far as I know, you're a Brennan."

He threw his head backed and laughed, while Brennan sat, dumbfounded.


End file.
